Citrusy, spiced lamb kebabs are anything but meek

A marinade with onion, spices and herbs is brightened with lemon zest and lemon juice for lamb kebabs to be cooked on the grill. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Onion provides the base for a marinade that works well for lamb, pork, chicken or beef kebabs. The natural sweetness of the onion caramelizes nicely when the kebabs hit the hot grill. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A blend of allspice, smoked paprika, salt and pepper gives the marinade a little punch. The strong flavors of the spices stand up well to lamb, adding flavor without heat. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A blender, food processor or in my case, the large cup of my Magic Bullet, work well to pulse all the ingredients for the marinade. Just toss all the stuff in and hit the button until everything is blended to a smooth paste. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Lemon zest and lemon juice add a citrus tang to the marinade. If you don't have a microplane grater, just use a regular grater or even a vegetable peeler to get just the surface of the lemon peel. Since it all goes into a blender or processor, it does not have to be super fine. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Fresh herbs are a bright addition to most anything. A marinade for lamb is no exception. This version uses Italian parsley and rosemary. Just strip the leaves from the stems and add to the blender with the other ingredients. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Most any meat will work with this herby-lemony marinade. But lamb goes especially well with the bold flavors. I just used a couple good-sized lamb steaks that I cut into 1-inch pieces. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Kebabs are terrific summer food. These lamb skewers get nice color from an onion-based marinade when cooked for less than 10 minutes on a very hot grill. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Here is a shot to show that my son, 2, really does love the big flavors in this dish. He especially loves eating the lamb right off the skewer. To make it safe for him, I took a couple lamb chunks off a hot skewer and stuck them on a cool skewer. JILL L. REED, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

My kid is a freak for Greek. Food that is. Maybe it is because one of the things I craved when I was pregnant was avgolemono, a simple eggy, lemony Greek soup with chicken and lemon.

I ate that soup a couple times a week with warm flatbread and a side of tzatziki, the yogurt and cucumber dip that is laced with garlic and herbs.

And since the kid seems to have an adventurous palate, I like to encourage his culinary exploration by mixing it up at home and when we go out for dinner.

His dad calls this the "Tables of the World" method of eating. So far our son, 2, has embraced various Asian, Italian, Middle Eastern, Mexican, French, Indian and Moroccan flavors to name a few.

We have so many more to try, of course. But this week's stop was another taste of Greek, with the main event being citrusy and spiced lamb kebabs that I cooked on the grill.

The spices in the lamb are bold, but not hot, making this a good way to get your kid to experiment with flavor without worrying about burning off little tastebuds.

My son loved dipping the lamb and some warm flatbread into the garlicky tzatziki that I made, spiked with a lot of dill and some black pepper.

I also served a simple little salad of tomato and green garbanzo beans with a vinaigrette thickened with hummus. OK. So hummus is not truly Greek. But it worked well with the dish.

The key to these kebabs is planning ahead a little. They need some time to hang out in a marinade that starts with a base of onion and gets a boatload of bold flavors from lemon, herbs and spices. Ideally, they should marinate for a minimum of 6 hours.

It all comes together quickly, and I was able to get the marinade made and the meat soaking in less than 15 minutes. After all that, the cooking time is less than 10 minutes on the grill, making this a great weeknight dish for summer.

And for those who are, well, a bit meek when it comes to lamb: Try some cubed chicken or pork.

Citrusy, spiced lamb kebabs

Time: 15 minutes prep; 6-24 hours marinading; 7 minutes cooking

Yield: 4 servings

1 medium onion, quartered

2 peeled garlic cloves

Leaves from 4 flat-leaf parsley sprigs

Leaves from 1 spring rosemary

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/4 pounds trimmed lamb loin, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions

In a blender, combine all ingredients except lamb and puree until smooth. Transfer the marinade to a bowl or a resealable plastic bag, add the cubed lamb and turn to coat. Refrigerate the lamb for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Thread the lamb onto long skewers, leaving a bit of marinade on and leaving some room between the cubes.

Grill lamb kebabs over high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred, about 5-7 minutes for medium-rare to medium meat.

Serve the lamb skewers with warm flatbread such as pita and a yogurt dip such as tzatziki.

Cook's note: If using bamboo skewers, make sure to soak them in water for about 30 minutes to keep them from burning.

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